The House Committee on Higher Education has published its interim report to the 86th Legislature.
Recommendations
Interim Charge One
1) Continuation of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s flexible approach to semester start dates, financial obligations and financial aid. Allowing institutions of higher education a degree of flexibility in times of crisis has enabled an optimal disaster recovery process.
2) Put in place a clear framework and guidelines of which agency is responsible for disaster support, attempt to avoid repetition of services and over-burdensome bureaucratic processes. Restructuring the administration of information requests for emergency funding should also be a priority.
3) Establish a resource designed for higher education institutions affected by disasters. This resources should be developed with input from higher education institutions and state and federal agencies, with this central node of information, best practices and understanding response.
Interim Charge Two
1) The legislature should consider working with institutions of higher education to create legislation and policies that could expand mitigation of sexual assault. Continuing on action that has seen the increased access to counseling for victims and further flexibility for dropping classes, more can be done to include mitigation strategies in Texas Education Code.
Interim Charge Three
1) The Texas legislature should seek to support policy solutions that could encourage the growth of high quality, proven college readiness support programs. Providing advisors and a support framework that could help prepare dual-credit students for college and beyond is vital to improve attainment, graduation rates and workforce quality. This could come in several forms, from advice about financial aid and the holistic college experience, to help completing concrete degree plans.
2) The committee should continue to explore the rigor of dual-credit programs, with a regular review into the content and outcome of these programs. Following on from American Institutes for Research’s study the committee would welcome more evidence in particular from faculty about the consistency of dual credit programs. By maintaining high standards Texas can continue to produce excellent graduates, ready to enter a high-skill workforce.
Interim Charge Four
1) Undoubtedly, the committee generally supports the concept of innovative programming and acknowledges the multiple desirable outcomes descending from thoughtful implementation of such. The committee sees no reason for delay in considering legislation aimed at generating more innovative programming in Texas higher education. At the same time, a measured approach is required, and due caution ought to be observed. Regardless of genuine desire and adequate funding, authentic innovation simply cannot be forced but must occur organically.
2) With respect to implementing innovative models in imitation of the perceived and/or proven successes of programs at the various institutions, the committee would urge institutions and legislators to think creatively but also prudently – for there is no one-size-fits-all approach in innovative programming. Certainly, the various institutions are aware of their relative strengths and weaknesses, and legislators seeking to spur innovative programming at institutions within their districts must remain cognizant of the unique and particularized needs of those institutions by working closely with the appropriate personnel. Indeed, geographic and demographic considerations (among others) can, in some cases, completely rule out certain types of innovative programming. Even so, the committee strongly encourages the exploration of innovative models and hopes for a fruitful discussion of thoughtful bills in the 86th Regular Legislative Session in 2019.
Interim Charge 5
1) The Texas Legislature should attempt to increase reciprocity teacher licensing across state jurisdictions. Teachers who have been certified in other states and who can demonstrate proficiency on certain indicators similar to T-TESS should be fast-tracked into a workforce with critical gaps.
2) The committee would recommend an increase in the data and indicators of post-EPP success. Such measures could include but are not restricted to teacher retention, K–12 student surveys and first year teacher student performance. This data should be transparent for the benefit of potential educators. To address the states teacher recruitment and retention problems the Texas Education Agency might seek to maintain a public data dashboard of public preparation programs.
3) It is vital to encourage partnerships developing between EPPs and public schools, the Texas legislature should explore innovate ways to incentivize these vital frameworks, which would help address regional deficiencies.